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Chapter 577 Hot Pot
A few days later, the day came for Lu Qing to pick up his clothes from the Tse-Leg Shop. Lu Qing put on fake skins for himself and Zhu Yu, and the two of them went to the Tse-Leg Shop.

However, they did not see Gu Lingyun this time.

It happened to be raining that day, and it was wet and cold outside. There were hardly any people on the street, and those who were there were hurrying along with oil-paper umbrellas and tung oil raincoats. The piece of cloth that was displayed outside the Tze-shoe Shop was also taken down, and the usual hustle and bustle was gone.

The person who received the two of them was the manager of a shoe shop. The manager politely led them inside and handed the clothes that had been made earlier to Zhu Yu: "Madam, please take a look and see if you are satisfied."

"Is Manager Gu not here? I didn't see her on the way here." Zhu Yu took the clothes from the other person, but didn't glance at the clothes. Instead, he looked around.

The manager smiled, not taking Zhu Yu's question seriously: "The Duke of Yan's wife's birthday is approaching, and the shopkeeper has been supervising the work in the workshop, so he has no time to take care of the trivial matters in the shop."

“Alright, if she’s not here, I can ask you,” Zhu Yu nodded and looked at the steward. “Didn’t you display a piece of fabric outside before? It’s called Flowing Cloud Silk.”

It was said at the time that there was only one of these, and it had been given to the Duchess of the State to make clothes, so it couldn't be sold.

However, I've been inquiring around the capital these past few days. Generally, once the nobles have started using something good, you can get your hands on it and sell it to others in no time.

So I'd like to give you a deposit in advance, and once you've finished making them, I'll get priority for one dress, how about that?

Price is negotiable; I just really love that piece of material.

The steward didn't even lift his eyelids, a perfunctory smile on his face: "Madam is joking. How could a place like ours possibly imitate such material?"

The Flowing Clouds and Clouds fabric was originally brought by the Duke of Yan himself; he simply placed it in our shop and asked us to tailor it.

After all, our Zelifang has the best tailors in the entire capital, so this is a good use of such fine material.

“That’s not what you said when you were showing it to the outside.” Zhu Yu frowned, very dissatisfied with the manager’s explanation. “You said outside that there was only one horse, and that it was selected by the Duke of Yan, so you couldn’t sell it to anyone else.”

"That's just an excuse," the steward said with a sly smile. "This lady is probably not from the capital, so she doesn't know much about the rules for these nobles."

The fabric was indeed brought by the Duke of Yan himself. However, none of the ladies in the palace had ever seen such fine fabric. If he had obtained it, and instead of offering it up, he had made clothes for his own wife to wear, it would be hard to say.

So when he handed the items to us, he instructed us to say it this way. After all, we're in business, and saying it this way makes the shop look respectable... Don't you think that makes sense?"

Zhu Yu looked helpless, but didn't know what else to say. He nodded, accepting the shopkeeper's explanation.

As they left Zelifang, the rain intensified, and the two hurriedly returned to Yunyin Pavilion.

After returning home, Zhu Yu put that expensive dress into a jar and had it taken to the kitchen, where it was dried on the stove for a long time.

There was no way around it; Zelifang had some connections with places like Xianrenbao and Xiaoshanlou behind the scenes, and those people were too fond of engaging in all sorts of crooked and shady things, which made her uneasy.

"Why don't we just burn it down? That would be safer," Lu Qing suggested, noticing her fear.

Zhu Yu raised her hand and punched him in the chest: "Don't talk nonsense. You spent so much money to buy it. If there was no problem, why burn it and waste it like that! Do you still think you're the carefree king? The situation is still uncertain, and there are still many challenges to overcome. You can't be so extravagant."

Lu Qing pulled Zhu Yu into her arms and sighed softly, "Don't worry, even if he weren't the Prince of Xiaoyao, your husband wouldn't let you live a life of frugality."

Living a life of extravagance and debauchery, indulging in lavish spending, is not impossible for them.

"Alright, let's have some 'luxury' tonight!" Zhu Yu glanced at the increasingly heavy rain outside. "This kind of weather, damp and cold, is perfect for hot pot!"

“Okay, I’ll have Liu Yueyao arrange it right away,” Lu Qing replied readily.

They all knew in their hearts that although the days spent holed up in the backyard of Yunyin Pavilion were boring, they would probably find some joy amidst the hardship for some time to come.

So seeing Zhu Yu's happy appearance, Lu Qing felt a little sorry for him, but also couldn't help feeling a little joy in her heart.

Liu Yueyao was always efficient. When it was time for dinner, she had someone bring over a silver hot pot with a rich variety of ingredients, including mutton, raw rabbit, duck blood, pork belly, and a wide variety of vegetables.

Knowing that Lu Qing and the others had recently stopped drinking alcohol, Liu Yueyao specially prepared some grape syrup and goat cheese syrup.

Zhu Yu prepared the dipping sauce according to his own preferences and called the talismans and runes over to eat with him.

"Madam, this won't do!" Upon hearing this, Fu Lu hurriedly waved his hands, "It's against the rules!"

"Since Madam asked you to come, then come along. Don't refuse." Lu Qing nodded to the two of them. "I am no longer the Carefree Prince, so you don't need to stick to those formalities."

From the moment I brought you two into my life, I've always felt that I finally have family with whom I can share my joys and sorrows, and rely on each other for survival. Please don't feel awkward about it.

When Fu Wen and Fu Lu heard Lu Qing say that he was not the Carefree King, Fu Wen's face was full of heartache. He frowned and clasped his hands in a fist and said to Lu Qing, "Master, no matter whether you are the Carefree King or not, you and your wife will always be the masters of us brothers. This will never change."

"Our lives were given to us by you. Whether we are rich or poor, we will follow you and serve you and your wife!"

"If that's the case, then you haven't listened to your master's words at all," Lu Qing teased, raising an eyebrow.

Rune was stunned and couldn't reply.

Taking the opportunity, Zhu Yu waved to them: "Alright, sit down! Hot pot is more lively with more people. If only one or two people eat it alone, even the best food won't taste as good!"

The talisman master no longer refused and sat down as instructed.

With the two of them together, the meal became much more lively. At first, the two of them felt it was against the rules and were a little reserved, but they gradually relaxed later.

Zhu Yu didn't have a big appetite, and she was full in no time. She sat to the side, propping her chin up and watching Fu Lu eat. She found that watching him eat so seriously and with such relish had a strangely appetizing effect, making her put down her chopsticks and eat a few more bites.